Three Czech companies have started their work together with their Moldovan counterparts to implement innovative solutions as part of the 6th Call for Proposals of the Czech Challenge Fund implemented by UNDP, with financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Czech Republic. Each initiative was awarded with up to US$40,000 and are being implemented from October 2022 to October 2023.

The current edition of the Czech Challenge Fund covered four thematic areas: sustainable growth and green cities, solutions on digital transformation, climate change, environment, and eco-innovations.

“With 17 Czech Challenge Fund projects implemented in Moldova since 2018, we clearly see the potential of both Czech innovators and Moldovan partners to bring new solutions and approaches that come with real improvements across sectors and municipalities,” noted Pavel Faus, Senior Project Specialist of the Czech-UNDP Partnership for SDGs, UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub.

Following projects covering Moldova are being implemented, thanks to Czech Challenge Fund support:

• The Czech association Seminkovna, together with their local partner CSO Gradina Moldovei will create a network of seed libraries in different regions of the country, which farmers can then reproduce to have their own seeds in the next season.
• The Czech company Smart Guide, in partnership with Invest Moldova Agency, will develop a smart destination management and innovative digital guide of tourist attractions and destinations in the country.
• Apis Innovation will transfer to the National Association of Beekeepers of the Republic of Moldova valuable know-how to combat Varroa mites destructors, one of the main source of bee colony mortality. The Czech company Apis Innovation has created a thermosolar hive which is fatal to the destructor mites only with the power of sunlight. The solution is completely environmentally friendly, yet its success rate is higher than that of the commonly used chemical drugs.

Within previous Calls for Proposals (2018-2021), 14 other initiatives were supported, among them being:

• RCE Systems introduced an advanced traffic video analytic system that provides automated video analytics to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova.
• The University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, in partnership with the CSO Katalyst, created an ecological product innovation lab, a certified commercial kitchen and experimentation lab to set up and stimulate ecological product development and help start-ups and small producers shift to more sustainable operations.
• DATmoLUX, in partnership with the municipality of Ungheni, provided their latest technology for public lighting by implementing an advanced Radio Control System. This pilot implementation of modern lighting system is adjustable, more cost efficient and proves better visibility for city’s residents.

The partnership of UNDP with the Czech Republic supports innovative solutions from Czech Republic’s private sector, non-governmental organizations, universities, state institutions, research centers, and individuals. The Czech Challenge Fund projects focus on solving specific development challenges in six partner countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Zambia). The implementation is financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. In Moldova, the Czech Challenge Fund has already supported 17 projects.